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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27745273">i swear, you are it</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohallows/pseuds/ohallows'>ohallows</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bathing/Washing, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Hair Washing, Intimacy, Kissing, Other, Post-Campaign, slightly suggestive but incredibly minor, technically</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:40:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,789</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27745273</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohallows/pseuds/ohallows</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I love it,” he repeats, and lifts his head until his nose brushes against their cheek, lips brushing against their ear. “Thanks, Cel, I… don’t know what else to say.”</p><p>“We get to relax now,” Cel says, resting their chin on Barnes’ shoulder. Their hands rub gently over his back, fingers brushing over the comforting fabric of his jacket. “And I just… you deserve nice things, you know? You… you can let someone take care of you, sometimes. And I like taking care of you, and helping you relax, and - I thought this would be nice?”</p><p>“It is nice,” Barnes says, almost sounding a little shell-shocked.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>(implied cel/zolf/barnes), AO3 MAKE AN NB RELATIONSHIP CATEGORY CHALLENGE, Commander James Barnes/Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i swear, you are it</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <a href="https://twitter.com/nootinks/status/1334000166446231553?s=21">NOOT DREW FANART FOR THIS FIC COME SCREAM ABT IT WITH ME</a>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>god i spiraled over this with guess who its noot again and uh yeah. here you go. </p><p>if no one else is going to provide me w celbarnes content then i’ll do it myself</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cel takes a cautious step back and surveys the room in front of them. Everything seems to be in order and in the correct place, and it’s all ready for the grand unveiling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Except. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Something’s missing, and they don’t mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>Barnes.</span>
  </em>
  <span> They can’t place it, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>isn’t right with this picture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They look around the room, eyes narrowed as they try to figure it out. The water is perfect, the moonlight is coming in perfectly through the windows, the soap is all laid out, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>candles -</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” they exclaim, realising what’s missing. They snap their fingers, hoping that it will work just like it used to when their mother used to do it, but then deflate when the candles don’t magically turn on. “Aw.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They should make that a thing. Sure, people who have prestidigitation or Spark can just make it work, but people without latent magical powers would probably </span>
  <em>
    <span>love </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be able to just… turn lights on with a snap of their fingers. Or a clap of their hands. Gods, that would be absolutely incredible, wouldn’t it? You just walk into a room, snap, and then </span>
  <em>
    <span>boom, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the lights turn on. Well, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>boom, </span>
  </em>
  <span>per se, it wouldn’t be a loud explosion, unless you </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>it to be, Cel supposes, but that might be an innovation just for them. Explosion sounds anytime you walk into a room would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>cool, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but Cel doesn’t know how well that would sell to the audience at large. They really should think about this whole clapping the lights on thing, though - it would definitely be popular.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel realises a bit too late that they’ve been speaking out loud, just rambling </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of that into the air, and shuts up, pressing their lips together tightly and miming locking them and throwing away the key. While it’s a potentially </span>
  <em>
    <span>brilliant </span>
  </em>
  <span>idea, they can think more about this later. They already have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>plan, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and they need to stick to it, even though they really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to go and start working on this whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>clapping </span>
  </em>
  <span>thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes comes first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They give the room one more passing glance with a critical eye, trying to spot if a single thing is out of place. After one more look over, they’re pleased. It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Now, they just need to find Barnes and convince him to come with them, which - based on past history - should be an easy task. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They duck out of the washroom (actually, before going all in on the clapping-lights thing, they should rework the door frames to be a little bit taller - they’ve already hit their head a few times on the wooden door jamb, and would like to not have to consistently remember to duck) and head back toward the sitting room, wiping their hands on their sweater (stolen from Zolf). Barnes is sat in there, back to Cel, and the fire is burning in the hearth and it looks so cosy that Cel almost hates to pull him away from it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They watch him for a moment, leaning against the doorway as a smile flits across their face, and then they head in, tapping Barnes on the shoulder to get his attention before stepping to the side of the couch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got something nice for you,” Cel says out of the blue, rocking back and forth on their feet. “It’s a surprise, so you can’t look.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes puts down the book he was reading and glances up at Cel, something close to apprehension on his face. “Now, when you say </span>
  <em>
    <span>something nice</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he starts, speaking slowly, “what exactly do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel goes over to him and grabs his arm, tugging until he’s stood up next to them. “It’s something nice!” they repeat. “I can’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell </span>
  </em>
  <span>you, that would completely ruin the surprise!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See, last time you told me you had ‘something nice’ for me, we both ended up in the Channel,” Barnes tells them, raising an eyebrow. “Now, I’m not complaining, right, I’d just like to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>prepared</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not - I mean, it involves </span>
  <em>
    <span>water, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but - hey, no!” Cel calls as Barnes slowly pulls his book back up to hide behind. They lean over and pluck it from his grasp, carefully bookmarking the page as they set it down on the side table. “Don’t you trust me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know I do,” Barnes says without a moment’s hesitation. “But I’ve also learned from my mistakes in the past.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel swats him on the arm. “Please?” They make their best pleading face, taking Barnes hands in between theirs as they rub over his knuckles. “For me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes stares at them for a second, unmoving, but Cel’s played this game before and just continues looking at him, tilting their head a bit to really drive the effect home. Eventually, after what feels like minutes but is definitely just a  few seconds, Barnes sighs and pulls one of his hands back as he rubs at the bridge of his nose. Cel’s smile grows and grows, stretching across their face as they realise that they won, and when Barnes finally looks up at them, there’s a half smile on his face too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Fine,” he says, and lets Cel pull him to his feet. “What’s the surprise, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Promise you won’t peek?” Cel asks, and Barnes crosses a finger over his chest and holds a hand up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Promise,” he says, and they watch him critically, eyes narrowed as they look for any sort of deceit in his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The problem is twofold: Barnes is a good liar and Cel is </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad at telling when he’s lying, and Barnes constantly ruins surprises, either accidentally (when it’s for someone else) or on purpose (when it’s for him), so the chance of him actually keeping his eyes shut is… astronomically low.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I love you, but I don’t trust you,” Cel says, and spins Barnes around until he’s facing the general direction of the washroom. They reach up and cover his eyes with their hands, pressing a quick kiss to the back of his neck as they do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Barnes says, only sounding mildly offended, but doesn’t actually argue with them about that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel elects not to respond, instead steering him</span>
</p><p>
  <span>toward the washroom. “Don’t worry, it’s fine!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cel, look - </span>
  <em>
    <span>ow.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Barnes winces as Cel hears his knee knock into something, and they immediately pull him back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry! Sorry, sorry, didn’t see that there, I’ll do better, promise,” Cel swears, and Barnes sighs. It’s fond, though, so they decide not to worry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They make it there in short time, and Barnes sniffs the air and pauses just before Cel can basically manhandle him in through the doorway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why’s it so… flowery?” Barnes asks, and Cel can feel his brow furrow under their fingers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just go with it!” they say, and finally guide him into the washroom, albeit with a few more bruises than they’d intended for him to have, really. “Now, please don’t open your eyes? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes shakes his head under their hands but doesn’t argue. “Alright, fine, yeah. Promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel drops their hands and then waves their fingers in front of Barnes’ eyes to check. Barnes doesn’t move, so they take him at his word. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ta-da!” they announce, stepping in front of him, arms out and hands shaking in excitement as they frame the bathtub in the corner of the room. “Something nice!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In their opinion, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>nice, as well. Steam is rising gently off of the surface of the tub; Cel and Zolf had worked together on modifying a stasis spell to engineer it to keep the water warm for more than a few hours, and that particular piece of technology has come in handy more than once. (Plus, it makes Hamid incredibly jealous, which is mostly an entertaining bonus for Zolf. Cel really does need to remember to patent it, at some point.) Candles are lit in the corners of the room, giving it a soft, warm light as the moon shines in through the window. There are more around the bath, held high up on invisible strings as they dance through the air. The scent of rose and lavender fills the air, and red and yellow petals are sprinkled across the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All in all, it’s a charming picture, and one that Cel spent a long time cultivating. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think?” they ask, trying their damnedest to hide how nervous they feel the longer that Barnes remains silent. They rock back and forth on their heels as he continues to stare at the tub, not saying anything. “I - I mean, I know it’s not much, but I thought it would just be a nice gesture, and then I could wash your hair and you wouldn’t need to worry about anything and maybe we could just spend a nice night doing -“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes turns and silences them with a kiss; it’s not a </span>
  <em>
    <span>great </span>
  </em>
  <span>one, considering Cel was in the middle of speaking, but they melt into it soon enough and the angle shifts to be just right. Sadly, Barnes pulls away before Cel can really sink into it, pulling them into a tight hug instead. He whispers something into the space where their ear used to be; Cel can’t make it out, and taps his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wrong ear,” they remind him, and Barnes just shifts the hug until his chin is resting on their other shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love it,” he repeats, and lifts his head until his nose brushes against their cheek, lips brushing against their ear. “Thanks, Cel, I… don’t know what else to say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We get to relax now,” Cel says, resting their chin on Barnes’ shoulder. Their hands rub gently over his back, fingers brushing over the comforting fabric of his jacket. “And I just… you deserve nice things, you know? You… you can let someone take care of you, sometimes. And I </span>
  <em>
    <span>like </span>
  </em>
  <span>taking care of you, and helping you relax, and - I thought this would be nice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> nice,” Barnes says, almost sounding a little shell-shocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unexpected? You didn’t guess?” Cel asks, excited that they’ve finally been able to surprise him, and Barnes shakes his head slowly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even know the last time I </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>a bath,” he says, and steps closer to the water, dipping his fingers in. “S’warm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to…” Cel trails off, stepping toward the door in preparation. “I mean, I don’t want to presume. This - I wanted this to be for you, so you can tell me to go if you want, I just -“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cel. You can stay,” Barnes says, giving them a smile as he cuts them off. He starts to take his clothes off and Cel whirls around, covering their eyes on instinct as they hear Barnes’ shirt hit the ground. “Er - Cel?” he asks, a note of amusement in his voice as he pauses. “What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you - I dunno, want </span>
  <em>
    <span>privacy?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cel asks, but Barnes just gives them a neutral hum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, after the navy where you see everyone in their skivvies, and the past year and a half of having to check everyone’s bits for veins, it’s lost some of the impact for me. Plus, you’ve seen it all before, anyway,” Barnes says, sounding more nonchalant than Cel had expected him to. He’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong, </span>
  </em>
  <span>either, but this somehow still feels… different. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel does turn around, though, keeping their gaze firmly above the waist for a few different reasons, and Barnes climbs into the tub, sinking below the bubbles until only his torso is visible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s got scars that run up and down his body; some are from swords, some are from knives, one notable one is from a bomb that he hadn’t been able to duck away from in time, and two horizontal scars under his pecs that nearly match Cel’s own. Cel’s run their fingers over the scars so many times, asking for stories and for memories that Barnes willingly gave them. The scars are all reminders for him, he’d said one night when they were laying in bed with Zolf passed out in between them, of what he’d survived and what he’d learned from them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel sits on the floor next to the bath, leaning their shoulder against it as they stare at Barnes. He looks so relaxed, here, arms resting against the rim of the tub, and they can’t resist pressing a gentle kiss to the back of his palm. Barnes smiles at them while they do, gaze as fond as it’s ever been.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is lovely,” he says, and moves his hand to cup Cel’s cheek. “You’re lovely. Thank you, Cel, really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel blushes at that but doesn’t move away from the touch, just staring at him as Barnes lets his eyes slip closed. It’s not often that they feel tongue-tied, but it always manages to be Barnes that causes them to lose their words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> handsome. They can never really get over it. His hair’s grown out the past few months, gone from a neat buzzcut into shoulder-length long locks that Cel takes every opportunity to run their hands through. Most of the worry lines around his face are gone now, a slowly-fading reminder of the battle that they’d all finally won.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They don’t know how long they sit there, staring at him, but the water stays warm the entire time through, and the scent from the candles and the light flickering around the room makes Cel start to understand what people mean when they talk about a religious experience. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel coughs, politely, and leans a bit farther into Barnes’ palm, reaching out their own hand to brush through his hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I, um. Your hair, I could… wash it, if you’d like? Only - only if you want me to! It’s - it’s not like it’s greasy or anything, but, um, it might be nice too, just letting me take care of you, if that’s something you -“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes’ hand falls gently into the water as Cel trails off, already missing the warmth of his palm against their skin. “Go ahead,” he says, and sits up a bit so that Cel won’t have to maneuver him around to get to the longer parts of his hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cel moves around to the end of the tub, running their hands almost reverently over his back and shoulders for a brief moment, tracing the freckles like constellations, and Barnes shivers under their touch. They pick up the bar of castile soap and dip it in the bath water before working it up into a lather in their hand. They set it back down on the side of the tub and begin to run their fingers through Barnes’ hair, careful to get it through every strand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes lets out a little sigh and sinks a bit deeper into the water, chin brushing against the top. Cel can visibly see the tension bleeding out of his shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For all that he teases Zolf about needing something to focus on, he’s much the same, even if he won’t admit it. After they all saved the world, he and Zolf spent a lot of time fixing up this little cottage, taking on more and more projects just for something to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Cel had accidentally overheard them one day, talking about waiting for the other shoe to drop, but now, a year out from the final battle that saved the world, they think that Zolf and Barnes have finally stopped waiting. All three of them been able to relax more, stopped waking up screaming from nightmares, and moved on a bit with their lives, albeit slowly.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look up,” Cel murmurs, and Barnes obliges, tilting his head back so that they can pour some water over his hair. They wash the soap out, carefully avoiding his eyes, and Barnes lets out another sigh, body almost melting into the water. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once all the soap is out, Cel moves Barnes up a bit so that the ends of his hair aren’t dipping into the water, running their fingers over his shoulders. He moves easily, almost half-asleep as Cel plays with the hair on the back of his neck for a moment with one hand, grabbing the macassar oil with the other. It’s a home blend that they’ve infused some more lavender, nettle, rosemary, and aloe into the oil. They set the tin of macassar oil on the ground and unscrew the top, and the comforting scent envelops them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They start rubbing it into his hair, fingernails scratching against his skull. Their tongue sticks out slightly in concentration, and they dip back into the tin for some more oil, liberally coating each strand with the oil until his hair shines. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes opens his eyes eventually, an unreadable look in them as he watches Cel. He sits up a bit, water flowing around his torso, and turns his head to meet their eye. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cel,” he says, and catches their hand as it runs the oils through his hair. His fingers slide against theirs, made slick by the oil, and when he looks up at them, eyes bright, Cel’s heartbeat stutters in their chest. “Thank you. I don’t know how to repay you, but -“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to, James,” Cel murmurs, running their free hand through his hair again, catching in the knots and tangles as they gently work through them. “This - I wanted to do something nice for you, anyway, I… you don’t need to do anything else. I like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I could always return the favour,” Barnes says, keeping his tone carefully neutral, too neutral to be completely innocent, and Cel narrows their eyes as they look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” they ask, realising that </span>
  <em>
    <span>something’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>up even if they can’t quite figure out what, and then Barnes moves, water spilling over the edges of the tub as he shifts around and tries to grab them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“James - James, you’re going to - </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Cel says around a poorly stifled laugh, trying to evade his grip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes’ hands are slippery with soap and water, but eventually they clasp Cel’s shoulders and manage to tug them in. Cel crashes over the side, hip knocking into the porcelain as they hit the water and end up half in Barnes’ lap and half out of the tub. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Water sloshes over the side, spilling out onto the floor below and spreading out over the wood. Their foreheads knock together, and Cel hisses in pain, but eventually the water settles and they’re left half-straddling Barnes, clothes completely soaked. Barnes hums under his breath, self-satisfied, and his hands rest gently on Cel’s hips. They don’t try to get up, just shifts so that they’re more comfortably straddling Barnes’ legs, and Barnes lets them move, fingers drifting over their skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to ruin the floor,” Cel says, but they can’t keep the serious tone going for more than two words. Barnes leans back against the rim of the tub and puts his hands behind his head, closing his eyes like he’s the picture of contentment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zolf can clean it,” he says, as though it’s a given, and Cel snorts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He isn’t back till the weekend,” Cel says. “And we </span>
  <em>
    <span>promised </span>
  </em>
  <span>not to burn the house down. Again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was only one room,” Barnes argues, although he sounds reasonably contrite. “And we fixed it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Zolf’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>room,” Cel reminds him, and Barnes shifts in the water, shrugging. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Worked out for </span>
  <em>
    <span>us, </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t it?” he murmurs, opening one eye briefly and tilting his head before going back to his original position. He breathes slowly and steadily, such a change from the tenseness before they saved the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he does have a point, as well; Cel had convinced Zolf to just stay with them in their room, saying that the bed was surely big enough, and after waking up in a pile of tangled limbs and Cel instinctively pressing a kiss to Barnes </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> Zolf’s cheeks in the morning, the whole “what are we?” conversation had been mostly sorted. (Granted, they’d had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot </span>
  </em>
  <span>more conversations in the days following, but those were more for clearing up boundaries and setting expectations and, most importantly, buying a bed that would better fit all three of them.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe so,” Cel murmurs, shifting a bit on top of Barnes as they try to ignore their sodden clothes sticking to them. He looks so peaceful here, so relaxed, and they’re genuinely struggling to remember a time when there wasn’t an edge in his eyes, a weight on his shoulders. They reach out and caress his cheek, resting their hand against his skin as their thumb brushes against his cheekbone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Barnes asks, leaning into the touch. He turns his head and catches Cel’s hand before they can pull it back, pressing a kiss to their palm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They let it stay there, fingers stretching back until they brush against Barnes’ hair, playing with it gently. It’s still damp and loaded with the oil - Cel will need to fix that soon, unless Barnes wants his hair to be greasy for the next few days. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” they say, smiling a bit as they stare down at him. Barnes’ eye cracks open as he looks up at Cel, raising an eyebrow in gentle curiosity. “Just… I like seeing you happy. It feels right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mm,” Barnes hums. “It’s mostly ‘cause of you, you know. You and Zolf.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And how is Cel not supposed to kiss him, after that? They pull him in and press a kiss to his temple, to his cheek, to the corner of his mouth, and then Barnes caresses their cheek and angled their head just right until their lips are sliding against each other. Cel presses into him, fingers pressing against his cheek and his neck until they wrap in his hair, using it as a handhold as they pull him in tighter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes’ hand leaves their cheek, trailing a ghostly touch down their side as his other arm curls around the small of their back, locking them into a tight hug.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They surface eventually, pressed closely into Barnes and mostly ignoring how the wet fabric rubs uncomfortably against their skin. He’s a sight beneath them, eyes glazed over and lips spit-slicked and red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We - we do need to clean this up,” Cel says, breathless. They, wrap their arms around Barnes’ neck and press their foreheads together. “Otherwise Zolf will be incredibly cross.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Barnes just hums again, one arm wrapped around Cel’s waist and the other resting on the back of their neck as he tugs them close. “It will keep,” he murmurs, and pulls Cel in for another kiss that they’re helpless to resist against.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s only water, after all. It will keep.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i still don’t think i’m writing barnes well but oh well practice makes perfect</p><p> i was yearning and thinking abt that one scene in bvs where clark does this and got emotional</p><p>you know those reddit posts of guys being like “i let my partner wash my skin and hair in the shower and i started crying bc i’ve never felt treated that gently before?” this is that but w cel and barnes</p></blockquote></div></div>
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